Friday, 10 April 2015

Modern Skirmish Gaming (or "Not Insurgents Again")

This post was prompted by the new Chain of Command spin-off Fighting Season. Since CoC is the Lardies best and most polished ruleset ever, with some great innovations, I should be more excited. But I'm not. But it isn't the rules that are a problem.

It isn't the minis. Some of the modern stuff is really great. Empress, Red Star and Eureka make great 28mms. The former two have amazing detail and production quality. S&S have 20mm that tempt me to try a new scale. And every 15mm manufacturer worth their salt has tipped their toes in at least, though QRF and Peter Pig are the dominant players. I want a reason to buy more modern soldiers.

I want to buy modern minis. I want to use them. But I really don't want to play Afghanistan or Iraq. Again. Modern skirmish or platoon level gaming is rapidly becoming as crowded as WW2 platoon level or hard sci fi "Vietnam-on-Space." I'm tired of insurgents/freedom fighters/terrorists. I'm tired of sand and Middle Eastern terrain.

So here's what I'd like to play with my modern soldiers....

Well, besides modern psychic/horror (psychic powers ftw! ...and yes you can have Cthulhu if you insist), X-COM (if only we had decent minis); Alien Invasion (Battle for Los Angeles) and Stargate. I think gabbed on these topics a bit already. But besides this? Wait for it.....Hollow Earth
Yes, why should 1930s pulp heroes get all the fun? If you want to avoid corny giant gorillas and dinosaurs, maybe make it reptilian aliens or demons for a grittier feel. You know the things mankind has feared for centuries, that make up the stuff of our darkest legends and myths? They're real, and they live beneath us. Dig out your random monster minis, people! Also, the underground nature would be a good reason to focus on small scale infantry combat, and make for fun terrain. Maybe unexplored civilizations lie 40,000ft beneath our feet.... Perhaps also renegade Nazis who burrowed too deep from their Antarctica base when fleeing Admiral Baird's expedition....

Hebrew Mythology
Yes, this is a bit of a weird one. But Hebrew myth (and part of the Catholic Apocrytha) allude to the "Fallen" - 200-odd angels sent to guide mankind but who got too involved in human affairs. Hence "the" Flood which was primarily to exterminate them. This would be a nice change from Vampires/Werewolves but with similar gameplay effects. It has a basis for a faith/magic system and premade (but not too familiar) fluff. Fallen could fall into good/evil/neutral camps and would have human followers (or even organisations, like Opus Dei or MJ12). They could be opposed by "Demons" - incorporeal beings who control humans like puppets. More powerful demons could split themselves to control several humans - or give a single human superhuman abilities. If a possessed human is killed it proportionately weakens the demonic entity. Demonic gameplay could give an asymetrical feel and involves resource management. Humans would be weaker, but rare individuals could possess more "Faith" making them meatshields or powerful glasscannon mages. And perhaps add Nephilim- half human/angel hybrids from Nazi experiments in the war. Also, golems.

Anyway, back later. I'm off to glue a flaming sword onto the back of my 28mm US Special forces....

18 comments:

You'll be happy to know that I'm working on a "weird Modern" skirmish set (called T.H.R.E.A.T.) which includes psychic powers from the ground up, and an unnamed science fantasy game as well - both inspired by your excellent series on games design.

Thank you for all the time you've spent on your blog, it's a favourite of mine!

I agree my main issues with moderns is I don't want to play terrorists. I like the idea of Modern Pulp a lot, the White Wolf World of Darkness could make a good back ground. I am thinking of Mage the Awakening (not Vampire or Werewolf) where you have Technology based magic on one side and more "traditional" magics on the other. Neither of these is truly the bad guy they just have radically different visions for how the world should work.

according to the TFL mailing list there is also a straight forward modern version of CoC in the forge... said that I can sympathize with the "not insurgents again" state of mind. Also the lower level you go the less distinction there is between insurgents and regulars. A crappy regular platoon will fight as a crappy mob anyway... it is interesting how rules that model point of contact situations (that in the end are more or less high intensity actions) want to throw at you all the "non conventional stuff"... but be happy COIN (without people not even bothering to define what an insurgency is...) is all the rage now...

Said that... well not one is so keen on hollow earth or fallen angels... also because once you do get into weird stuff almost everyone has his/her own setting, and a story that appeal to me does not appeal to the 99% of the gamers...

I personally like making sand box fictional countries, so that my real world, fantasy, horror, sci-fi, convictional and unconventional forces can do any thing I want. Can also use for other eras in history.

I thought Osprey's Black Ops might have some potential, but initial indications are disappointing. As I've mentioned elsewhere, though, Empress Miniatures' new Project Genesis range of figures for post-apocalyptic warfare looks interesting, though there are no specific rules for it, at least as yet:

You can easily sell me on anything Empress. Their quality is excellent. (Perhaps as it is run by some wargamers wives!)

Actually, I thought I had seen them but they have added way more civilians than last time, and some handy vampire/pulp heroes (I'm not a big post apoc fan outside of the small STALKER sub genre; the rednecks, bikies, grime and BDSM side of things does not appeal)

That genre has never held any appeal for me either, but I'm always open to persuasion, particularly when figures have alternative applications, and, like you and other commentators, I'd like to get into moderns, but not into real world conflicts (a feeling presumably shared by most of the military, but I digress).

Another digression - apart from having mentioned another Osprey set - is that I've just ordered Dragon Rampant, though it seems not to be released until 20 December. At less than £8 with free postage, at least in the UK, however, it's unmissable. I've seen no discussion of the parent rules, Lion Rampant, here - and haven't played it yet myself - but as you are generally keen on Osprey rules - other than the unfortunate but all-conquering WWII game - was wondering about your thoughts on the system. As you may know, colonial and renaissance rules are also in the pipeline from the author, Dan Mersey. (I actually asked him about a possible renaissance rule set early in the year after having my enthusiasm boosted by reading Empires of the Sea, and he responded that he'd been approached, but didn't think he was knowledgeable enough about the period. I assume he's subsequently taken a crash course in renaissance history).

I did manage to get hold of a renaissance set with a similar scope - large skirmish - thanks to a tip from someone on Dan's blog, but haven't done anything with it as yet, other than order the optional card set.

Another issue holding me back is that I know of no ranges for Knights of St. John.

Upsides were amusing writing style, scenarios and the Warmaster activation, as well as the low price.

Basically, LOTR already does everything it does, but is more flexible and better. Nothing particularly new or interesting, so no incentive to buy.

If you want something different or interesting, Lords and Servants is my 10c (review somewhere on this blog).

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I've scoured the web for Siege of Malta era Renaissance and Ottomans are usually from centuries later. You might be able to cobble together stuff for Knights using the brilliant Perry plastics (Mercenaries, men-at-arms) and they also sell separate heads (i.e. Italian/Spanish style helmets, hats and stuff).

Hmm...well, as you say, they're cheap, at least via Amazon or eBay. I'm not keen on fixed unit sizes myself, and have never got around to playing Saga, despite having a couple of the official warbands, (and, to my shame, dice sets for warbands I don't have, but not for the ones I do own).

LOTR is looking more and more compelling. I do have Lords & Servants, and began reading it, but I really need to get it printed. It's a big file, unfortunately.

Back to the Project Genesis figures: for some reason these are substantially more expensive than Empress's other ranges, at £10 per pack of four, as opposed to £7.50 for the same number of figures in their Modern Combat range. Some of the police figures are even more, at £12, presumably due to the riot shields. A shame, and hard to understand, but we always have the choice.